Clay Cartouche Project

Ancient Egyptian pharoahs and queens had their names carved into sarcophagi and palace walls in a language called heiroglypics. A small rope like boarder surrounded the name as a way to protect it from evil. The finished product is what is called a cartouche.

Students began the process of making their own personal cartouche by rolling a slab of clay,

They carved the pictures to represent their own initials or name.

Then they made a thing clay coil which they attached to the border using a score and slip technique, in which they scratched both sides, brushed watered down clay to each side, and then pressed them together.

They pressed a flat tool around the border coil to give it a rope-like texture. And finally, they poked a hole at the top so they could hang their piece on a wall. I love finding ways to make history come to life while simultaneously teaching processes and skills that will transfer to future art projects. I also love the idea that each of my students are important enough that they deserve a magic rope to protect them, as the pharoahs of old.